Fireplace screen support



Oct. 20, 1964 M. L. STARK E'i'AL 3,153,256

FIREPLACE SCREEN SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 10, 1963 INVENTORSMARVIN 1;. STARK M. 1.. STARK ETAL 3,153,256

Oct. 20, 1964 FIREPLACE SCREEN SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 10,1963 32' ra -a T u I I 35 y FIG 9 n" :2 SI 26 35 Y INVENTORS i l -MARV1NL. STARK ,FRANK c. LEWIS United States Patent 3,153,256 FIREPLACE SCREENSUPPORT Marvin L. Stark and Frank C. Lewis, Louisville, Ky., assignorsto Peerless Manufacturing Division, Dover (Iorporatiou, Louisville, Ky.,a corporation of Kentucky Filed .l'uly 1t), 1963, Ser. No. 294,092 6Claims. (Cl. 1687.4)

This invention relates to a support for wire mesh curtain fire screens.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a prefabricatedconstruction, sold as a package, and which may be readily manipulatedand installed by the purchaser of the screen, without the assistance ofspecial tools, or the services of a special installer. In thatconnection, it is proposed to provide a main rail which carries, on itsbottom face, a medial bracket having a series or" dependent arms, two ofwhich support the inner ends of the rods on which the screen meshcurtains are slidably suspended, while a third arm supports a turnbucklefor selectively adjusting oppositely movable channel members havingmasonry anchors at their outer ends. The inner ends of these membershouse the nuts engaging with the turnbuckle, while their outer ends arepinned to spaced tongues secured to the masonry anchors. These tonguesproject through rectangular openings in the vertical leaf of angularchain-race members. To further assist in preventing any relative angularmovement of the channel members under the influence of the turnbuckle,the web portions of the channel shaped masonry anchors have forked orslotted ends to engage with adjacent curtain rods. These curtain rodsare longitudinally fixed in vertical flange portions of a pair of chainguide brackets secured to the main rail, while the elongated channelmembers, carrying the masonry anchors for supporting the assembly in thefireplace, are capable of being moved inwardly and outwardly.

A further object of the invention is to provide a support for theornamental trim which masks the rods and channels. This trim support, inone form of the invention, has a portion of the main rail for receivinga snap-on trim section, and, in another form, the masonry anchors may beprovided with vertically adjustable screws whose upper portions areslotted to receive and support a flange of the trim.

With the above and other objects in View which will more readily appearas the nature of the invention is better understood, the inventionconsists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement ofparts, hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the fireplace screen supporting unitin its entirety.

FIGURE 2 is a detail fragmentary top plan of one end of the constructionshown in FIG. 1, illustrating the channel shaped serrated masonryanchors projected in tion shown in FIGS. l3.

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view, illustrating a modified form of trimsupports.

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary top plan view of the trim support shown inFIG. 5, with the trim in dotted lines.

Patented Get. 20, 1964 FIGURE 9 is an end elevation of the support shownin FIGS. 5 and 6.

Similar reference characters designate the corresponding partsthroughout the several figures of the drawing.

As will be seen from FIGURE 1, the main support rail or lintel bar A isof angular cross section and includes a top horizontal wall 1 having astiffener bead 2 medially thereof, while the front edge is bent ordoubled upon itself to provide a reinforcing head for adequatelysupporting all of the operating mechanism for a screen S, as Well as thetrim T. The doubled-over portion 3 terminates in a vertical wall 4.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 6, it will readily be seen that the trim Tincludes a lower channel 5 adapted to embrace the lower edge of thevertical wall 4 and a central masking portion provided with an upperresilient clamping flange 6 having a groove 7 to snap over the head 3and secure the trim in place.

The medial portion of the bottom face of the wall 1 has the flat bodyportion 8 of a primary bracket B secured thereto. This bracket has apair of spaced downturned curtain rod receiving legs 9, 10, and a thirdturnbuckle-supporting leg 11. The said legs 9 and 10 are olfsetlaterally to slidably support the inner ends of the parallel spacedcurtain rods 12 and 13 in overlapping relation in the same horizontalplane.

Chain raceway members R and R are of angular formation and each includesa vertical flange 14 or 15, respectively. The flange 14 has a verticalright angularly disposed wing 14a having chain grooves and is spotwelded to the inner face of vertical wall 4 of the lintel bar. Theflange 15 has the horizontal wing 15a also provided with chain groovesand is spot welded to the bottom face of the horizontal wall 1. Thus,both raceway members are fixed to the lintel bar A.

The outer ends of the rods 12 and 13 are fixed in openings 12a and 13ain the rearwardly extending flanges 14, 15, of the angular chain racewaymembers R and R. Each rod is provided with a pin receiving hole a. nearits outer end and is also provided inwardly thereof with a swedgedportion b so that in assembling the rods in the flanges, each rod hasits inner end first slid into the opening of its related leg 9 or 10,and then moved into the opening in the flange of its related angularchain race member until the said swedged portion engages one side of theopening and the hole is exposed at the other side to receive a pin 0. Inthis way, the curtain rods 12 and 13 are held against longitudinalmovement so that when the curtains (not shown) are opened and closed bypulling the conventional chains, the rods will not shift longitudinally.

Referring again to the bracket B and its medial depending third flange11, it will be seen from FIG. 1, for example, that its opening 16supports the plain unthreaded portion of a turnbuckle D. This turnbucklehas a radial manipulating handle 17, and its opposite end portions arethreaded as indicated respectively at 18 and 19. These threads engage inthreaded nuts 18a and 19a so that when the handle 17 is manipulated, thenuts will be retracted or extended, according to the direction in whichthe handle 17 is rotated.

The nuts 18a and 19:: are secured in non-circular members such as thechannels 29 and 21, preferably by swedging, and the outer ends of thelatter pass between the inwardly extending horizontal flanges of therelated U-shaped clips 22 whose web portions are carried by the back ofthe channel shaped masonry anchors 25. The clips 22 pass through relatedrectangular openings D in the vertical flanges of the chain races R andR.

The laterally and outwardly extending web of each anchor 22, 23 isforked as indicated at x to engage a 6) related end of a curtai rod 12or 13 as it projects through the flanges 114 or 15. With this feature,it is impossible for the masonry anchors 22 and 23 to turn or twist fromtheir intended positions so that force of considerable magnitude can beapplied to secure the screen support in place.

Referring to FIGS. 7-9, inclusive, it will be seen that the masonryanchors 26 and 27 are connected to opposite ends of a channel member 255by individual turnbuckle screws 3l31 operating in nuts 36:; and 31a. Theouter ends of the anchors are provided with vertically adjustable screws32 and 33 which pass through the flanges of the channels where they areheld by lock nuts 35, and the upper end of the screws are longitudinallyslotted as indicated at 34.

As shown in ElGURES 8 and 9, these adjusted upwardly or downwardly withmasonry engaging members as and 27 flange 36 of the trim member T, sh wnin FIGS. 8 and 9.

in this form of the invention, the lintel assembly is not required. Thatis to say, the channel member 25 upon being rotated in one directionwill force the masonry anchors 26 and 27 into the sides of the fireplacemasonry, and upon being turned in the other direction 'will contract thechannel members to dismount them.

We claim:

1. In a fireplace screen support,

a lintel bar of angular cross section providing a horizontal top walland a vertical wall having a stifiener head at their junction,

a bracket secured to the bottom face of the horizontal top wall,

a pair of downturned legs on said bracket and laterally :oltset in ahorizontal plane with respect to each other and each having an opening,

curtain rods having their inner openings,

a third downturned leg otl'set laterally toward the rear of the support,and also having an opening, a turnbuckle rotatahly supported in theopening of said last mentioned leg having threaded portions,

extendable and retractable members having nuts fast thereto and engagingsaid threaded portions,

angular chain race members each including a vertical flange secured tosaid extendable and retractable members,

and masonry anchors connected to each or" said vertical flanges.

2. In a fireplace screen support according to claim 1,

wherein the extendable members are non-circular and the vertical flangesof the chain race members have nonscrews may be respect to the toreceive the in dotted lines ends slidable in said 4 circular openings toreceive a clip connected with said expandable members and also haveother openings to receive the ends of said rods.

3. In a fireplace screen support according to claim 1, wherein themasonry anchors are of channel shape and have a forked extend-ed web toengage said curtain rods. 4. In a fireplace screen support according toclaim 1, wherein the channel shaped masonry anchors have the edgesserrated to firmly grip the fireplace sides.

5. In a fireplace screen support according to claim 1, wherein,

the lintel bar includes a front wall and a rearwardly extending top wallformed with an upstanding bead at their junction, 1

and a trim member including a vertical wall for masking the, front wallof the lintel bar and having an upturned flange for embracing the loweredge of said bar and also having a fiat upper resilient flange formedwith a groove at the junction of said front wall and flange to interlockwith said bead.

6. In a fireplace screen support,

a pair of outwardly facing channel shaped masonry anchors,

turnbuckle means for extending and contracting said masonry anchors,

means secured to said anchors and turnbuckle means for mashing andconcealing said anchors and turnbuckle means from the room side of saidsupport, said means comprising a lintel bar of angular cross sectionproviding a horizontal top wall and a vertical wall ha ing a stilienerhead at their junction, screen supporting means secured to said lintelbar, and a trim member snap-fitted over said lintel bar and including avertical wall for masking the front Wall of the lintel bar, said trimmember having an upturned fiange for embracing the lower edge of saidbar and also having a fiat upper resilient flange formed with a grove atthe junction of said vertical wall and flange to interlock with saidstiffener bead.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. IN A FIREPLACE SCREEN SUPPORT, A LINTEL BAR OF ANGULAR CROSS SECTIONPROVIDING A HORIZONTAL TOP WALL AND A VERTICAL WALL HAVING A STIFFENERBEAD AT THEIR JUNCTION, A BRACKET SECURED TO THE BOTTOM FACE OF THEHORIZONTAL TOP WALL, A PAIR OF DOWNTURNED LEGS ON SAID BRACKET ANDLATERALLY OFFSET IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER ANDEACH HAVING AN OPENING, CURTAIN RODS HAVING THEIR INNER ENDS SLIDABLE INSAID OPENINGS, A THIRD DOWNTURNED LEG OFFSET LATERALLY TOWARD THE REAROF THE SUPPORT, AND ALSO HAVING AN OPENING, A TURNBUCKLE ROTATABLYSUPPORTED IN THE OPENING OF SAID LAST MENTIONED LEG AND HAVING THREADEDPORTIONS, EXTENDABLE AND RETRACTABLE MEMBERS HAVING NUTS FAST THERETOAND ENGAGING SAID THREADED PORTIONS, ANGULAR CHAIN RACE MEMBERS EACHINCLUDING A VERTICAL FLANGE SECURED TO SAID EXTENDABLE AND RETRACTABLEMEMBERS, AND MASONRY ANCHORS CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID VERTICAL FLANGES.